Top Kitchen Hacks for Students

These kitchen hacks will show you how to open tins and bottles without an opener, and how to peel fruits without a knife or peeler.

(Newswire.net -- August 22, 2017) -- Student life is hard, what with all that fast food, beer and sleeping. But one of the things that makes it that little bit more difficult is a lack of money and organization. Students have typically just left their mothers and fathers, taking responsibility with them and leaving behind all those cooked meals, washed clothes and other slavery that parents willingly commit to.

But fear not, because there are a few simple tricks that every student can learn to make their life in this new world easier.

Open Beer Bottles

Every student is partial to a drink or five. It’s par for the course. And because bottle openers aren’t always on hand, every student should learn a few ways of opening beer bottles without using a bottle opener. I used to be able to do it with my teeth, and that’s why I spent my teenage years impressing idiots and my twenties paying dental bills. I wouldn’t advise it, not when these options are available.

The best trick is to use a dollar bill. Paper gets quite tough when you roll it up. If you do it with a dollar, making sure you roll it really tight and then bend it in half, you should have something solid enough to pop the cap. It’s all about finding the sweet spot underneath the cap, keeping pressure on the top and then applying more pressure underneath.

Once you get the trick down you can use lighters, rings, keys and even belt buckles. If you have a solid surface with a thin edge, then you can also rest the bottle against it—so the exposed cap is pressing against the edge—and then use the palm of your hand to apply pressure to the top of the bottle.

You could use a knife, but my grandmother always says that you should never trust a student with a knife. He’ll either hurt you or hurt himself (my granny is not the most politically correct octogenarian you’ll ever meet). You can actually use a spoon. Just jam it into the edge, apply pressure and then rock it back and forth.

The lid will crimp and eventually break, creating a slit. Once that happens then you can work on gradually applying pressure to the side of the slit, extending it until you make it all of the way around.

If this sounds like too much work, then try rubbing the can against a solid concrete surface. As you rub you will begin to wear down the metal lid. When you see moisture appear on the concrete slab then stop. The lid should now be thin enough to simply peel it open with a pocket knife or even a spoon.

Peeling Fruits

Mangoes are the devil’s fruit. So tasty, so sweet, and yet such a nuisance to peel. But if you have a glass or cup at hand then it can do the hard work for you. Just chop it and then use the edge of the glass to peel it. You just need to cup it in your hand and use the edge of the glass to apply pressure between the skin and flesh. It will then scoop all of the flesh out and drop it into the glass.

You can do the same to get all of the flesh out of an avocado. And if you’re looking to quickly prepare strawberries for cocktails, just push a drinking store from the bottom to the top of the fruit and it will neatly core it for you.

Ice Cubes

Nothing impresses like a perfectly clear ice cube (if you have really dull friends). To get these you just need to make sure that you boil the water first. Without boiling the ice cubes will be cloudy, but the boiling removes the impurities and ensures they are nice and clear.

Alternatively, freeze some wine and use those as ice cubes, that way you don’t have to add any of that tasteless and pointless water to your alcohol! You can also use frozen grapes to chill cocktails, but when you can use alcohol instead, why would you bother?

Spend your Money

Of course, the best way to open a bottle is to use a bottle opener and the best way to open a tin can is to use a can opener. It’s not rocket science and they’ll only cost you a few dollars. So, stop blowing your budget on Adrafinil, Red Bull and World of Warcraft (yes, I know you secret) and put a little money aside to make your life easier.